Amber Thompson. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sport
The all-time leading rebounder in St. John’s Women’s Basketball history, Amber Thompson has signed a contract to play for New Basket ’92 Oberhausen e.V. in Germany’s First Division.
“It means so much for me to have this opportunity to play professional basketball overseas,” said Thompson. “It’s been a goal of mine and I feel blessed because I know where I’ve come from, as well as the fact that there are numerous graduated college athletes that do not get this opportunity, so I am so going to take full advantage of it.”
Thompson closed out a storybook career at St. John’s this past spring, a tenure that saw Thompson’s teams reach the postseason in all four of her campaigns. As a freshman, Thompson played a critical role on the Red Storm squad that reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history, playing in all 34 games and making 23 starts.
After reaching the tournament once again during her sophomore year, Thompson displayed postseason heroics during the NCAA Tournament as a junior. In the opening round against USC, Thompson tallied a double-double with 10 points and a then career-high 17 boards to lift St. John’s to a second-round date with Tennessee. As a senior, Thompson helped the Red Storm reach the WNIT Round of 16, averaging 11.0 points and 11.7 rebounds over three games.
Thompson made her mark on the St. John’s record book during her time in Queens, etching her name in more than a few places. In addition to being the first player in program history to surpass the 1,000-board mark, Thompson also holds the top two spots on the school’s single-season rebounding list. She first broke the record as a junior by grabbing 313 boards before shattering her own mark with 370 caroms as a senior. Her 75 blocks as a senior were good enough for the fourth-best single-season effort in program history, while her 173 career blocks place her third on the school’s all-time list. Thompson also ranks first on the program’s career games-played list with 133 appearances.
As a senior, Thompson led the BIG EAST in rebounding and ranked 18th in the nation overall in that category.
The 2015-16 St. John’s women’s basketball team kicks off its season on Nov. 13, traveling to historic Pauley Pavilion for a showdown with defending WNIT champs UCLA.